Lecture 2 The Evolution of the British State

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Lecture 2The Evolution of the British State

• Dr Tom Quinn
• GV204 The New British Politics
• 20 October 2009

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Outline

• Aim of lecture outline main events in growth
  development of UK state
• Better able to understand the state were in if
  we know how we got here
• 19th C battles over voting rights between
  different social classes
• 20th C battles over size of state, fought by
  parties representing major social classes
• Breakdown of post-war consensus in 1979
• Recalibrating balance between state and market

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Landmark Events in the 19th C

• Growing class of rich industrialists
• Growing social and environmental problems
• Agitation from an emerging working class
• Reform Act 1832
• Repeal of the Corn Laws (1846)
• Victory of free trade over protectionism
• Split the Conservative Party for a generation

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Demand for Further Reforms

• Working class as a political force
• Chartist Movement
• Great Charter
• Universal suffrage, abolition of property
  qualifications for voting
• Secret ballot in elections reduce corrupt
  practices
• Equal-sized constituencies ? equal votes
• Payment of MPs help w-c men enter Parliament
• Second Reform Act (1867), Third Reform Act (1884)
  votes for w-c men
• Facilitated rise of the Labour Party in 1900

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19th vs 20th Century Politics

• 19th C politics extending the franchise
• 20th C politics growth of government
• 19th C Govt about high politics (e.g. foreign
  affairs)
• Not much on low politics (e.g. social welfare)
• Began to change with Disraeli Govt 1874-80
• Factory Act (1874)
• Artisans Dwellings Act (1875)
• Public Health Act (1875)
• Pure Food and Drugs Act (1875)
• Climbing Boys Act (1875)
• Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act (1875)
• Education Act (1876)
• Employers and Workmen Act (1878)

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UK Govt Spending Taxes, 1900-2000
Source T. Clark and A. Dilnot, Long-term Trends
in British Taxation and Spending, The Institute
for Fiscal Studies, Briefing Note No. 25 (2002),
p. 2
GGE General Govt Expenditure (spending) GGR
General Govt Revenues (taxes)
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UK Govt Spending Taxes, 1948-2000
Source T. Clark and A. Dilnot, Long-term Trends
in British Taxation and Spending, The Institute
for Fiscal Studies, Briefing Note No. 25 (2002),
p. 3
GGE General Govt Expenditure (spending) GGR
General Govt Revenues (taxes)
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Landmark Political Events in the 20th Century

• Liberal Govt 1905-16
• Rise of the Labour Party
• Great Depression of the 1930s
• Attlees Labour Govt 1945-51
• Thatchers Conservative Govt 1979-90
• New Labour Govt 1997-

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Liberal Government 1905-16

• Strengthened trade unions rights
• Constitutional reforms, esp. weakening House of
  Lords (Parliament Act 1911)
• Welfare measures health insurance, pensions
• Expansion of state and strengthening of functions
  (esp. during WW1)

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Rise of the Labour Party

• Slow growth between 1900 and 1910
• Extension of suffrage in 1918 more w-c voters
• Liberals split during WW1
• 1922 election Labour (30) overtook both
  Liberal parties
• Liberals in third place ever since
• First Labour Govt in 1924 and again in 1929-31

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Great Depression of the 1930s

• Mass unemployment and great deprivation
• General Strike 1926
• Labour split 1931
• J. M. Keynes The General Theory of Employment,
  Interest and Money (1936)
• Blueprint for Govt intervention in the economy
• Shift away from free-market economics

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Attlees Labour Govt 1945-51

• WW2 changed expectations of population
• Beveridge Report 1942 slay five giant evils
  want, disease, ignorance, squalor, idleness
• Attlee Govt modern welfare state
• Nationalisation of key industries, macroeconomic
  management (Keynesianism)

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Thatchers Tory Govt 1979-90

• 1970s breakdown of Keynesian post-war consensus
• Winter of Discontent 1978-79
• Revival of economic liberalism rise of the New
  Right Thatcherism
• Rolling back the state market forces
  privatisation, trade-union reform
• Tories split over Europe

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New Labour Govt 1997-

• Modernisation of Labour Party forced by four
  election defeats
• Third Way acceptance of market forces, but
  more emphasis on social justice
• Growth of the state
• New Labours capture of Middle England
• Three successive election defeats for
  Conservatives

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Conclusion

• UK state has grown in scope considerably since
  19th C (in common with most others)
• High-water mark in 1970s, but economic crisis
  facilitated rise of New Right committed to
  rolling back the state
• New Labour accepted reduced economic role of
  state (e.g. no re-nationalisation) but more
  public spending
• Sought to reform state (modernisation)